1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of security, and more particularly, to a threat detection and alarm system.
2. Description of Related Art
For intrusion detection and more specifically to detect penetration of strong rooms, safes, vaults, or automated teller machines (ATM), it is oftentimes desirable to detect not only activity impacting the vault indicating the presence of an attack, but also to detect the initial attempts at penetration of the vault. Typical intrusion detection systems utilize air-conducted acoustic waves in which active ultrasonic detectors or passive acoustic detectors are utilized in the surveillance of a protected area. Moreover, some systems utilize microwave energy projected into the protected area, variations in which are detected to determine an alarm condition.
It will be appreciated that once an intruder has penetrated a protected area, such as the vault, it is oftentimes too late for an alarm indication to be of real use because of the immediate accessibility of the valuables being protected. It is therefore necessary in a wide variety of cases to provide “early warning” of a vault penetration so that appropriate early countermeasures may be taken.
While vault activity detectors have been utilized in the past, it is with difficulty that ordinary sounds and vibrations can be distinguished from those which indicate an unauthorized penetration or attempted penetration of the vault, safe, strong room, or ATM. Thus sensing ordinary sounds and vibrations alone may result in a relatively high false alarm rate.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for an improved detection system. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.